Another year, another round up of beauty products I have loved for 2017! And by love I mean… When I think about these products, it gives me the glo on the inside. I’ve actually discovered so many products in 2017, the skincare round up is a different post all-together! I don’t think it’s possible for me to live minimally. So much to try, not enough faces!
I’m just gonna say it right now: this is a magical product. If I wasn’t fascinated by the Face Shop Papaya Peeling gel (First Impressions from a Peeling Gel Skeptic | FT. The Face Shop Mild Papaya Peeling), I’m just blown outta the water by the Charmzone Control Cream Self Massage!
I’m pretty stubborn when it comes to sales clerks giving me recommendations. ESPECIALLY when I don’t ask for help. However, I was convinced to try this product because the cheap Italy Towel I have been using to scrub my face away was making me look… worn. I opted for the advice of the nice Korean lady in charge of the beauty booth at the P.A.T. Market and got a way gentler exfoliant to try (after trying samples).
Based on a friend’s recommendation and increasing curiosity exploring Sephora’s K-Beauty section filled with brands I never heard of, I picked up the Chosungah 22 Bounce Up Pact Ultra SPF 50 PA+++(colour 02 Sand Beige). While I didn’t find this on the Sephora US or CA website, I was lucky enough to get it in person while browsing Lotte El Cube in the Ewha Women’s University area while on vacation in Seoul.
Now what’s intriguing about this product is that it is a puddy-like complexion product that is a cream to powder formula. Yep, like puddy!
While reading up some reviews, it’s surprising that there are quite the number of people who do not like it! Some due to the colour, the finish, and even the packaging. When it comes to base products, I am super analytical, so hopefully my review is thorough and well thought out for you readers!
I have been wanting to try cushions for a while ever since they’ve been introduced in beauty world. As I was shopping Sephora online during the VIB sale, I perused the KBeauty portion. Intrigued by Erborian’s entire line, I decided to pick up the cushion they carried! And since I didn’t know my colour, it is fortunate enough for this FI that I bought the only 2 colours: Clair and D’Ore.
While experimenting with the Ordinary serums a couple of months ago (check out [REVIEW] One Month (and more) of the Ordialnary: Hyaluronic Acid, Niacinimide + Zinc, Lactic/Azelaic Acids (plus last minute buys)), alongside the products I used consistently were and still are from Belif. I spotted Belif in the Face Shop at the Eaton Centre and my eyes protruded pretty fiercely!
Belif is a Korean brand that combines traditional herbal processing methods based on British herbalist Duncan Napier (from the 1860s), with their own innovative extracting method. They value their brand to be the most truthful and inimitable in the cosmetic industry because of their safe and effective formulation process.
I’ve been wanting to try one of their hydrating toners ever since I dabbled it on my hand at a Sephora in the US and followed up with major ragrets after not buying it. It was still winter, my moisturizer ran out, so I thought I’d try the Moisturizing Bomb to help with my dry skin. Bonus, I got a sample size of the Hungarian Water Essence as well to complete the set!
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Here are some products and items that stood out to me the past couple of months. Most of them I have used consistently since purchase, so it is only appropriate that I dedicate a blog post to them!
Acure Aromatherapeutic Moroccan Argan Oil (Rose)*
I have an unhealthy obsession with this! It smells so. Damn. Good. One pump is enough to cover my entire face, and sometimes I mix it in with whatever base makeup I decide to wear. It leaves my skin soft, smooth and healthy. (Will be doing a review of the Acure products I received from my previous post [UNBOXING] Natural, Eco-Friendly Goodies)
Acure Quick Fix Correcting Balm (Argan Oil + Starrflower)
I have been using this day and night around my eye area, the corners of my nose and smile area, and on the liiiiiight dehydration line on my forehead. It’s been keeping my eyes nicely hydrated and moisturized, and the tight, dry skin around my nose has become bearable. The forehead is the only place I stopped using it because a pimple sprouted there from it, otherwise it has been doing the job of adding extra moisture to needed areas and “fixing” problems!
Charmzone Control Cream Self-Massage
I also have an unhealthy obsession with this product. It removes dead skin cells, clears the gunk in my skin, and leaves it feeling soft and smooth. It is unbelievably gentle and my skin always looks good after using it. (Will be doing a full review and demo)
Boscia Charcoal Deep-Pore Cleansing Stick Treatment
I bought this just for fun after watching YouTuber Gothamista’s review on cleansing sticks. Iv’e been using it on and off, and consistently on a week vacation, and it actually turned out to be pretty effective! I noticed the size of my pores minimized significantly after one use, it never made my skin feel tight, and my breakouts were never inflamed. The one thing is it “melts” a bit fast so make sure to be quick with the stick and set it aside upright! (Of course I shall review)
Supergoop Barre to Bar Beauty Set – I bought this for my week vacation down to Cuba and it proved to be a lovely set. The City Serum is light and hydrating, the CC cream matched my skin tone well, and the lip/cheek treat was a nice colour that blended into the skin and lips easily without looking patchy. The only one I’m on the fence about is the mist, because of it’s heavy smell of alcohol, and I haven’t used it enough to know if the SPF is effective. (Full review will be posted after this!)
Another year, and another collection of empties! I’m in the process of decluttering my makeup collection, and I found it also an appropriate time to dig into my empties bag. I must get everything a beauty junkie possibly can out of the way!
This empties post has quite a bit of random stuff, nonetheless hope you enjoy the post and it helps you decide on future purchases!
If you know Bubzbeauty, then you know that she’s been loving her Skin Inc. My Daily Dose Custom-Blended Serum. From following her for a few years, I know she has been using their products for a while and found them effective. I decided to splurge and purchase my own set during the Sephora VIB sale.
“Skin Inc is the world’s first Skin Supplement Bar offering customizable beauty solutions to help you create an effective and fuss-free regimen, designed for your skin. Our products feature highly concentrated, pure and active serums and innovative skincare from Japan that combine proven ingredients with the most advanced delivery systems for maximum results. Skin Inc products contain 0% added scents and parabens…”
I discovered peeling gels while delving into the realm of Asian Beauty. They are supposed to be the gentlest alternative to exfoliating. The idea is while lightly massaging the peeling gel around your skin, all the little bits pilling up is supposed to be dead skin cells.
I am a skeptic about this type of product is because:
1) Any peeling gel I ever tested in store pilled up instantly – how am I supposed to know if it’s really dead skin, or the product just drying up instantly?
2) Because it’s so gentle, I feel like it is not an effective exfoliant compared to a physical scrub (HUGE fan of the Italy Towel).
I received a large sample of the Face Shop Mild Papaya Peeling for Christmas. I have been in the bad habit of overly scrubbing my skin with the Italy Towel and that is definitely not the smartest thing to do; it gets rid of the dead skin but it leaves my face irritated from its sand-papery touch. I decided to hang it dry and give the peeling gel a shot and see if it can prove me wrong.
As you may have guessed by the title, I will be reviewing some mascaras I’ve “emptied” (or dried up, or never touched again…)
It’s a bit of a tricky review to do since I can’t apply any of these on my lashes any more, but I’ll do my best to describe the formulations and how my lashes felt (if that makes sense.)
